Sotto Voce by Laura Biagiotti c1996

The choice of the name Sotto Voce communicates Laura Biagiotti’s desire to craft a fragrance that speaks softly yet leaves a lasting impression. Borrowed from Italian musical and theatrical notation, sottovoce literally means “under the voice,” indicating a hushed or confidential tone. Pronounced in as soh‑TOH VOH‑cheh, the phrase evokes the intimacy of a secret shared just for two, a gentle murmur rather than a bold proclamation. In perfumery, this name suggests a scent that unfolds discreetly—an aromatic whisper that draws others in rather than pushing them away.

Visually and emotionally, Sotto Voce conjures images of flickering candlelight in a dimly lit Venetian salon, the hush of velvet drapes, and the soft rustle of silk at a moonlit ball. It calls forth emotions of intrigue and quiet confidence, that delightful tension between what is revealed and what remains concealed. It is less about announcing oneself to the world and more about sharing a private moment of elegance and allure.

Launched in 1996, Sotto Voce arrived at a moment when fashion was transitioning from the stark minimalism of the early ’90s into a richer, more textural aesthetic. Hemlines were lengthening again, accessories grew bolder, and there was a renewed appetite for individual expression. In perfumery, the decade saw the rise of both gourmand scents—think Thierry Mugler’s Angel (1992)—and more intricate floral‑oriental‑woody hybrids. Consumers sought fragrances that combined warmth and sweetness with depth and longevity, reflecting a desire for personal signature scents rather than mass‑market blockbusters.

For the women of the mid‑’90s, a perfume called Sotto Voce would have felt both modern and refreshingly understated. It answered a burgeoning trend for fragrances that whispered sophistication instead of shouting luxury. In an era when power dressing gave way to more nuanced silhouettes, Sotto Voce mirrored this shift: complex and well‑structured beneath a veil of delicate florals, it offered a sense of quiet empowerment.

Olfactively, Sotto Voce is interpreted as a sweet floral oriental woody fragrance. Under the deft hand of master perfumer Sophia Grojsman, it opens with a soft fruit accord—peach, plum, perhaps a hint of mahogany wood and coriander spice—before unveiling a heart of tuberose, orchid, heliotrope, and orange blossom. These rich, sensuous florals are tempered by a whisper of vanilla‑tonka bean warmth and anchored by creamy sandalwood and musk. Each phase arrives like a hushed refrain, never overpowering, always inviting closer attention.

In the context of its contemporaries, Sotto Voce was very much in step with mid‑’90s trends—embracing the era’s love for sweet‑spicy florals and woody bases—yet it distinguished itself through its subtlety. While many launches sought to dominate in projection or novelty, Sotto Voce invited intimacy and personal discovery. In doing so, it carved out a niche among women who valued fragrances that felt like personal confidantes: elegant, evocative, and beautifully understated.

The Beginning:

When the venerable La Fenice theatre in Venice was ravaged by an arson fire in 1996, Laura Biagiotti responded not just with words of sympathy, but with tangible action. She conceived Sotto Voce as a living tribute to this “Phoenix” of the operatic world, pledging a portion of every bottle’s sales toward the theatre’s restoration. As the parfum flew off shelves, Biagiotti personally underwrote the creation of a brand‑new floral curtain—an intricate, hand‑painted masterpiece costing €120,000—dedicated in loving memory of her late husband, Gianni Cigna.

The bottle itself is a sculptural ode to music and Venice. Its glass form curves sensuously like a mandolin’s body, catching light much as a string instrument’s polished wood reflects a chandelier’s glow. The cap—a gleaming metal tuning fork—serves as both decorative flourish and symbolic reminder of sotto voce (“under the voice”), the musical direction to lower the tone. In this design, Biagiotti marries sight and sound: every aspect of the flacon whispers of harmony, precision, and the secret intimacy of a hushed aria.

Inside, Sotto Voce unfolds with an olfactory score built around the very woods that give life to fine instruments. Warm cedar and creamy sandalwood evoke the spruce and maple of violins and cellos, while undertones of mahogany and vetiver conjure deep‑toned basses. These rich, woody chords anchor the heart’s florals and oriental spices, creating a fragrance that resonates like a chamber orchestra—intimate, layered, and unforgettable.

To celebrate its debut in Madrid, Biagiotti hosted a gala worthy of European royalty. Opera singers drifted through candlelit halls draped in 19th‑century finery, their voices soaring against a backdrop of costumes inspired by Claudia Cardinale’s opulent wardrobe in The Leopard. Guests at this lavish affair experienced the perfume in perfect theatrical context—a living tableau of scent, song, and sumptuous history.

Biagiotti’s gift of $100,000 toward La Fenice’s broader reconstruction speaks to her lifelong bond with Venice’s artistic heritage. Since its 1792 inauguration, La Fenice has premiered masterpieces by Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, rising from the ashes of devastating fires not once but three times. By aligning Sotto Voce with the theatre’s rebirth, Laura Biagiotti underscored her belief that fashion, fragrance, and music are intertwined expressions of human creativity—and that true beauty, like La Fenice itself, endures through every revival.

Moreover, Biagiotti’s own ties to Venetian history and preservation run deep. In the late 1970s, she and her husband restored an 11th‑century castle on the island of Torcello, demonstrating their commitment to safeguarding Veneto’s architectural patrimony. By supporting La Fenice’s restoration, Biagiotti was extending that same ethos—championing the survival of forms that give Venice its inimitable character. Her gift was both a gesture of gratitude to the city that shaped her creative vision and a tangible expression of patronage, ensuring that future generations might continue to experience the magic of live performance within La Fenice’s gilded walls.

In aligning the launch of Sotto Voce—a fragrance meant to whisper secrets of elegance and intimacy—with a contribution to Venice’s greatest theatrical jewel, Biagiotti underscored the inseparable bond between art, history, and beauty. Just as La Fenice rises anew to captivate audiences with its music, so too does a fine perfume renew the spirit, making each spritz a moment of exquisite revival.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Sotto Voce by Laura Biagiotti is classified as a sweet floral oriental woody fragrance for women.

• Top notes: Brazilian rosewood mahogany, Russian coriander, Chilean plum, Georgian peach
• Middle notes: Indian tuberose, Italian orange blossom, Dutch orchid, Peruvian heliotrope
• Base notes: Mysore sandalwood, Venezuelan tonka bean, Tonkin musk, Madagascar vanilla

Scent Profile:

As you lift the silvery tuning fork cap from Sotto Voce, the first breath is a warm, resonant chord of Brazilian rosewood mahogany—a rich, rosy‑woody accord that feels as though you’re running your fingers along the polished hull of a grand piano. Brazilian rosewood, grown in the lush Atlantic forest, is prized for its sweet, balsamic depth, while mahogany brings a red‑tinged warmth and velvet smoothness. Beneath this lies the bright, spicy lift of Russian coriander, its essential oil distilled from seeds that flourish on the steppes—crisp, peppery facets that shimmer with a subtle citrus undertone. As these woods and spices settle, you sense the rounded juiciness of Chilean plum, a fruit accord amplified by lactones such as gamma‑undecalactone to evoke sun‑ripened richness, and the soft, velvety fuzz of a Georgian peach, whose high‑altitude cultivation yields an almost tea‑like sweetness with a hint of tartness. Together, these top notes establish a caressing introduction: woody and spicy, yet lushly fruity.

At the heart, Indian tuberose unfurls like a night‑blooming garden in full white glory—creamy, indolic, and almost tactile in its voluptuousness. This is joined by the luminous citrus‑flower glow of Italian orange blossom, whose bitter‑sweet petals—often captured as neroli—are softer and more radiant than those from other regions. Nestled within is the elusive Dutch orchid, largely recreated through sophisticated aroma chemicals like hydroxycitronellal and hedione to impart a dewy, sweet‑green floralcy that natural orchid oils rarely provide. Peruvian heliotrope, with its naturally occurring piperonal, whispers of vanilla‑almond cream and cherry pie, adding a dreamy powderiness. This floral core is both sumptuous and sheer, balancing the heady richness of tuberose with an airy, diaphanous lift that feels like silk brushing against skin.

Finally, the dry‑down reveals its most intimate secrets: Mysore sandalwood, the sacred, creamy‑milky heartwood from southern India, imbues the blend with a soft, lingering warmth. Venezuelan tonka bean spills a sweet, hay‑like melody of coumarin, deepened by a whisper of Madagascar vanilla—the Bourbon variety’s smoky‑spicy vanillin shining through in every lingering breath. Tonkin musk, recreated ethically through modern synthetics such as galaxolide, wraps the composition in a skin‑like caress, while the lasting echo of these precious woods and resins recalls the soundboard of a violin or cello. As the final notes settle, Sotto Voce becomes an olfactory sonata: a sweet floral oriental woody fragrance that whispers its elegance, inviting you closer to discover each subtle, beautifully honed detail.

Bottle:

The bottle of Sotto Voce is itself a statement of poetic design: crafted from clear glass, its form curves with the sinuous elegance of a mandolin’s body. The gentle swell of its sides and the tapering top recall the graceful contours of the instrument, inviting the eye to trace its lines as one might follow the strings of a fine lute. This sensuous silhouette is at once musical and sculptural, a perfect vessel for a fragrance that pays homage to the art of sound.

Atop this mandolin‑inspired flacon sits a silvertone metal cap shaped like a tuning fork—a subtle yet ingenious nod to the process of bringing instruments into harmony. The two tines of the fork rise like twin notes waiting to resonate, and the cool gleam of the metal contrasts beautifully with the warmth of the glass. In choosing a tuning fork rather than a conventional stopper, Biagiotti reminds us that Sotto Voce is not merely worn but performed, each application a delicate calibration of scent and skin.

Within, the juice is a tender pale pink, as though the mandolin’s curves were tinted by the blush of sunset. Over time, this rosy hue matures—deepening to a richer shade as the natural vanilla age‑marks the blend through slow oxidation. The evolving color becomes a living chronicle of the perfume’s life on your dresser, a visual testament to the warmth and depth that vanilla imparts.

Finally, the outer packaging completes the sensory symphony. A deeper rose‑pink box is printed with faint lines of sheet music, recalling the written score that guides every performance. The musical notation drifts across the surface as if carried on a gentle breeze, offering a final, evocative hint of the artistry contained within. From the bottle’s mandolin curves to its tuning‑fork crown and its melody‑adorned sleeve, every detail of Sotto Voce is an invitation to lean in, listen closely, and let the fragrance whisper its secret aria.

Product Line:

• Eau de Toilette
• Caring Beauty Bath (Shower Gel)
• Caring Body Lotion 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown, probably around 1999. It was last marketed by Ellen Betrix/Eurocos.